Facets of Creativity: My Creative Yodas-Joss Whedon

"Whatever makes you weird is probably your best asset." -Joss Whedon

Let me just say that I unreservedly LOVE Joss Whedon! Not more than my wife or even like I love my wife because that would be just weird, and he's married and he doesn't even know me, but I think you get the picture, rambling notwithstanding.
Like most fans, my gateway to the Wonder that is Joss came from a certain Slayer from Sunnydale, Ca. I remember the movie "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" with Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry and I wasn't very impressed with it. When I saw a trailer for the TV show and saw how there was darkness and actual menace, I could see it was different from the movie in a good way. The show didn't disappoint. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Co., over seven seasons, brought the funny, the dark, the drama and the snark. This is because of the man at the helm who took his creation back and steered Buffy and the Scoobies throughout the perils of High School and beyond. I gladly went along for the ride.
One thing you can say about Joss Whedon projects is that you always know from the writing that it's him. No one writes a conversation or a twist out of nowhere like him.
For example, on the too-soon cancelled, instant classic show Firefly, Mal Reynolds and Jayne are having a conversation centering around Jayne's dissatisfaction with Mal getting a wife while he got a stick that sounds like it's raining. Jayne was holding a rifle, which gave his complaint some weight.

Jayne: Do I have your attention?
Mal: Kind of going to extremes here, ain't we?
Jayne: There's times I don't think you take me seriously. I think that oughta change.
Mal: Do you think it's likely to?
Jayne: You got something you don't deserve...
Mal: ...And it's brought me a galaxy of fun, I'm here to tell ya...
Jayne: Six men came to kill me one time. The best of them carried this...It's a Callahan full bore auto lock. Customized trigger, double cartridge thorough gauge. It is my very favorite gun.
Mal: Are you offering me a trade?
Jayne: Trade? Hell, it's theft. This is the best damn gun made by man. It has extreme sentimental value. It's miles better than what you got.
Mal: What I got? She has a name.
Jayne: So does this: I call it Vera.
Mal: Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly comin' to a middle.

There are many other gems from that episode, not to mention the rest of the show, but to put it shortly, I wish I could write like Joss. Not only is he inventive, he's also prolific. Besides spawning Buffy and Angel, he also created the aforementioned Firefly, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, and the current hit, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (renewed for a third season), alongside his brother Jed Whedon and sister-in-law, Maurissa Tancharoen. He's also written a critically and fanboy acclaimed run on the Astonishing X-Men and The Runaways for Marvel, Sugar Shock and Fray, a future slayer, and Executive Produced (And no doubt written some issues) Buffy Seasons eight, nine and ten for DarkHorse.
On the movie side, he revisted the 'Verse in Serenity, co-wrote Cabin in the Woods with Drew Goddard, and wrote and directed The Avengers, Much Ado About Nothing and Avengers: The Age of Ultron.
He also writes music, hence the Buffy Musical Ep, Once More with Feeling, and the Firefly Theme. (Which is a ringtone for my phone.)

Getting to the point of this post, reading or watching anything that Joss Whedon has done, or will do, makes me want to step my writing game up. I want to write killer dialogue, write a story with a killer twist, create a killer character, heck maybe they'll BE a killer. I know I have to write to the level of my talent and gifting and won't ever be a Joss Whedon, but he inspires me to do the very best I can make my stories the best they can be.
He also makes me want to be able to write a script and /or a story perfectly, all ready to go with no revisions needed after the first draft is done.
Yes, he seriously does this. Repeatedly. Read the biography.

Mr. Whedon's next project is a comic called Twist that he's doing with Darkhorse. Like everything else he does, I'm definitely going to pick it up and enjoy a modern master storyteller at work and take steps to become one myself.

Joss Whedon's new book, Twist, and the man himself

The movie, starring Luke Pery and Kristy Swanson, that, thankfully, gave way to...

...the TV show.

Alyson Hannigan, Seth Green, Anthony Stewert Head, Charisma Carpenter, Nicholas Brendon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, David Boreanez, James Marsters and Julliet Landau.